Climate change is putting a strain on Taiwan's Christmas flowers, the poinsettias, causing them to turn red later than usual. But a research team in Taiwan has developed its own homegrown varieties that can better handle the warmer temperatures and are more suitable for the country's weather.
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00:00A symbol of goodwill and community spirit, the poinsettia.
00:11Its name in Chinese literally means Christmas rud.
00:15Its vibrant color can be seen in different corners of Taiwan as the country marks the
00:19December holiday period.
00:21And many local residents head out to the flower market to buy them to give their home a festive
00:26vibe.
00:28Poinsettias, originally native to Mexico and Central America, were introduced to Taiwan
00:37around the 1960s.
00:40It's now the second most popular potted plant in the country, after moth orchids.
00:45The cultivation of poinsettias is concentrated in four major regions, Nantou, Taoyuan, Miaoli
00:51and Yilan, in northern and central Taiwan.
00:54Nantou leads the nation, with production of 400,000 pots a year, accounting for a full
00:59third of the total.
01:01Here at Taipei Flower Market, Christmas blooms have given the venue a festive makeover with
01:06its vibrant red.
01:07Although Taiwan cultivates around 10 varieties of poinsettias, it is the red flowers that
01:12dominate, making up to 90 percent of the market.
01:15The Taipei Flower Auction Company, the first fully-owned wholesale flower market in Taiwan,
01:21says it expects around 1.15 million poinsettias to be grown this year, over 20,000 more than
01:27last year.
01:29Despite the increase in sales, some florists say business isn't as good as it used to be,
01:35largely due to the impact of the weather.
01:51Fortunately, there's a solution to this problem.
01:59At a university in central Taiwan, Professor Chen Yanming and his research team have developed
02:04a domestic variety of poinsettia, called the Mythology Series, which can turn red in time
02:10for Christmas.
02:11The weather this year is relatively hot, even in October.
02:16Although it gets shorter on a daily basis, for a Christmas red flower, it feels like
02:21it's getting closer, but why is the temperature the same as in the summer?
02:25So it's actually changing colors, but the speed of change is very messy or slow.
02:31Originally, it was green, but as the leaves fade away, the number of flowers slowly increases.
02:38As the leaves fade away, the number of flowers slowly increases, so in the end, all the leaves
02:43turn pink.
02:45Among the new poinsettia varieties, one in particular stands out.
02:49Thor has been specially bred to withstand climate change, being both colorful and resilient.
02:55The first advantage of the Mythology Series is that it's easy to grow.
02:59The color change is relatively fast, and the leaves are also strong.
03:06Because on Christmas red, you can see that some of the leaves are brittle, but the Mythology
03:11Series is basically strong.
03:14Developing domestic poinsettia varieties that can thrive in Taiwan's conditions marks a
03:18significant milestone for horticulture in the country, a step toward greater self-resilience
03:24and sustainability.
03:25Because there are free varieties, we can decide the direction of the industry.
03:29In the past, we were all growing foreign varieties, and if foreign varieties do not sell rice,
03:34then the industry will disappear.
03:36Now, with these new homegrown varieties, growers are aiming for a future where more made-in-Taiwan
03:41plants can bring festive cherry to the world.
03:44Joseph Wu, Billy Wu and Sunny Chi for Taiwan Plus.